Fuel Management

Arizona Utility Transforms to a Green Truck Fleet

Already committed to being a leader in renewable energy, Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) now is focusing on ways to improve its environmental impact from its fleet of trucks.

In late 2009, APS implemented a new standard of replacing its fleet vehicles with hybrid variations where economically applicable. Over the next 10 years, the company's transportation department plans to add more than 250 hybrid trucks to its fleet.

Hybrid trucks have been shown to decrease fuel consumption by up to 50 percent due primarily to reduced idling time while the truck is working. Instead of leaving the trucks running to power equipment needed on the job site, the new hybrids will use batteries to power both the on-board equipment and the bucket. In addition to reducing fuel costs and decreasing emissions, hybrid trucks offer reduced maintenance requirements and longer engine life.

"The APS transportation department has been working on ways to lessen our impact on the environment for decades," said Jerry Olinski, APS Transportation Services Department Leader. "In addition to adding new hybrid trucks to our fleet, we also use other sustainable actions in our operations as well - such as BioDiesel, extended oil drains and non-toxic solvents."

Since 1999, the company's diesel vehicles have been fueled by B20 BioDiesel - a blend of diesel and 20 percent oils, such as waste vegetable oil. In addition, about 90 percent of the antifreeze used by APS technicians is recycled, resulting in a reduction of more than 1,500 gallons of coolant used in the company's fleet over the past decade.

Committed to more than just its own environmental impact, APS is a member of the Electric Utility Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance. This alliance promotes the development and improvement of industry standards and plans to develop supply chain practices that focus on environmental stewardship and also provide value for customers and shareholders.

APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves about 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

Voters in Missouri, Utah, and Washington rejected state ballot measures on Tuesday that would have added new taxes on fuel or energy use by fleet vehicles, while California voters elected to keep increased fuel taxes in place to fund the state's infrastructure.

The national average gasoline price has fallen to a six-month low at $2.76 for a gallon of unleaded fuel on the same day the U.S. reimposed sanctions on Iran, which haven't driven prices high as the oil market has remained steady.

The national average gasoline price fell 4 cents to $2.85 per gallon for the week ending Oct. 22, as the price has given way following several weeks of lower demand. The price is where it was a month ago and 39 cents higher than a year ago.

Most states saw lower fuel prices this week, as the nation's average gasoline price fell 2 cents to $2.89 per gallon for the week ending Oct. 15. A handful of states on the west coast and southeast saw higher prices due to fuel disruptions, according to AAA.

Great Lakes states such as Ohio and Indiana saw the highest weekly gasoline price increases, as the national price increased 3 cents to $2.91. Prices increased in 43 states with the national price average increasing 6 cents from a month ago and 41 cents from a year ago, according to AAA.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Ford Motor Co. came out against President Trump's bid to relax strict fuel economy standards approved during the Obama administration, but said the initial rules didn't consider increasingly popular utility sales and continuing lower fuel prices.

The national average price of regular unleaded remained at $2.85 per gallon for the week ending Sept. 24, even as drivers in 32 states saw lower or stable prices. The price level is 1 cent higher than a month ago and 27 cents above a year ago, according to AAA.